Loading schedule...

George V could not have been a more unlikely modernizer. Born and brought up in the Victorian age, he was conservative to his fingertips and an unsuccessful parent who bullied his children. His wife Queen Mary revered the monarchy, obeyed her husband in all things – even on the length of her dresses – and always put duty and service first. Yet in the face of unstoppable social change after the First World War, George V turned out to be a remarkable innovator, creating the House of Windsor, embracing democratic reform, and reinventing many of the royal traditions that we know today. And when the abdication crisis threatened the future of the House of Windsor, Queen Mary was the rock to which the nation turned as a symbol of stability and continuity. This two-part series examines the impact of this remarkable couple – grandparents to Queen Elizabeth II - and shows how their influence still persists to this day.

A two-part portrait of Elizabeth II's grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary. In this episode, we examine how the innovations of King George V helped rescue the monarchy from potential disaster. (1 of 2)

King George and Queen Mary: The Royals Who Rescued the Monarchy

After King George V died in 1936, Queen Mary emerged as a determined if eccentric royal matriarch with a mind of her own. (2 of 2)